Tushara Chaminda G.G

• PhD, M.Eng, B.Sc-Eng
• Professor at University of Ruhuna

Pit latrines—the simplest on-site sanitation system—have been extensively used in developing countries in Asia for a long time. However, pit latrines are pollution and health risk hotspots that can cause widespread contamination. It is preferable to upgrade them to septic tanks, which are more advanced, effective, and simple alternatives. This stud...

Contamination of potable groundwater by pathogens from on-site sanitation system like soakage pit poses a serious health risk. This study aimed to investigate the transport of pathogens through the soil from on-site sanitation systems (soakage pit), using PMMoV (Pepper Mild Mottle Virus) as the viral indicator and E-coil as the bacteria indicator a...

Reclaimed water is highly required for environmental sustainability and to meet sustainable development goals (SDGs). Chemical processes are frequently associated with highly hazardous and toxic by-products, like nitrosamines, trihalomethanes, haloaldehydes, haloketones, and haloacetic acids. In this context, we aim to summarize the formation of va...

Contamination of potable groundwater by pathogenic viruses from on-site wastewater disposal field poses a serious health risk. Soakage pits are the common on-site wastewater disposal field in Sri Lanka. This study investigates the behavior of pathogenic bacteria and viruses in the soil near the soakage pits at different positions (up to 1.5m from g...

Demand-side water management in developing countries should ideally involve controlling the use of piped water supply and securing water sources that complement it to ensure sustainable use. To investigate the feasibility of incorporating these factors, we conducted a survey in Galle, Sri Lanka. First, an end-use survey was conducted to understand...

The global data on the temporal tracking of the COVID-19 through wastewater surveillance needs to be comparatively evaluated to generate a proper and precise understanding of the robustness, advantages, and sensitivity of the wastewater-based epidemiological (WBE) approach. We reviewed the current state of knowledge based on forty scientific articl...

Emerging pollutants such as Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in water resources are now considered a global water quality issue. Concerns associated with the presence of PPCPs in the environment include abnormal physiological processes and reproductive impairment, increased cancer incidence, the development of antibiotic-resistant...

Urban sanitation is a major challenge during the rapid urbanization being experienced by developing countries, as a low sewerage infrastructure capacity and irregular onsite wastewater treatment raise the risk of surface water contamination. The application of specific sewage markers to characterize contaminant sources is therefore essential for ma...

The study characterized the occurrence of 8 OWCs in sewage treatment plant (STP) (n=3), hospital discharge (n=3) and surface water from city drainage system (n=11) in a sub-urban city in 2019-2020. City drainage network functions to mitigate the flood caused by excess storm water during rainy season. However, due to the limit of STPs, drainage syst...

Rudimentary onsite sanitation systems (OSSs) are extensively used in low‐income countries despite the risk of groundwater contamination. The present study investigated the potential impact of community soak pits on sandy shallow aquifers in a rural area in Sri Lanka. Thirty‐two groundwater samples were collected and measured for traditional indicat...

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic increases the consumption of antimicrobial substances (ABS) due to the unavailability of approved vaccine(s). To assess the effect of imprudent consumption of ABS during the COVID-19 pandemic, we compare the 2020 prevalence of antidrug resistance (ADR) of Escherichia coli (E. coli) with a similar survey carried out in...

Extensive use of herbicides is common among rural agricultural workers in Sri Lanka. Recent studies have postulated their role in the development of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu). Paraquat and glyphosate are leading herbicides used by sugarcane farmers (SF), hence occupational exposure is inevitable. This study examined the expr...

In viral respiratory infections, bacterial co-pathogens are widely known to co-infect, and they significantly increase the morbidity and mortality rate. During the influenza season, the advent of 2019-nCoV (novel coronavirus) has led to the widespread use of oral and intravenous antibiotics and inhibitors of neuraminidase enzyme. Owing to causes su...

Evaluation of water quality of community managed water supply schemes in Matara district aid to evaluate the level of hygienic quality of community managed water supply system that provides drinking water to the Matara district and to develop the Water Quality Index for the community managed water supply system in Matara district to ensure the safe...

Spatial variations in groundwater quality of Sri Lanka were evaluated using multivariate statistical analysis techniques. Sampling was conducted in 1262 sampling wells distributed in 25 administrative districts and the respective climatic zones in Sri Lanka. Concentration of 18 water quality parameters including natural mineral ions and heavy metal...

We evaluated the hygienic influence of onsite sanitation systems (OSSs) on drinking water wells in rural Sri Lanka by determining the safe setback distance between wells and the management of OSSs. Although previous studies have used bacterial indicators such as E. coli to evaluate the OSS impact, these parameters cannot assess the hygiene risk for...

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are being debated for being the hot spots for the development of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microbial communities. We observed the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), antibiotic resistance genes (ARG), and multidrug resistance (MDR) in two municipal WWTPs and one hospital WWTP in Western a...

The study is concentrated on the present water pollution and future challenges of water usage in downstream of Kelani River. The river section between Avissawella to Ambathale was focused in the study. The study was implemented in two parts. The part one is investigation of water quality distribution and the future situations over the river using Q...

We evaluate the imprints of urbanization, landuse and lifestyle on the prevalence and provenance of antibiotic resistance in the tropical rivers of Sri Lanka (Kelani and Gin) and India (Sabarmati, and Brahmaputra River). The prevalence of E. coli in the Kelani, Sabarmati, and Brahmaputra Rivers was in the range of 10-27, 267-76,600, and <50 CFU ml⁻...

We evaluated the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, antibiotic-resistant gene, and metal concentration in a tropical river of Sri Lanka as a pre-emptive effort to understand the seasonal impact on their prevalence. Resistance for norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, kanamycin monosulfate (KM), tetracycline (TC), and sulfamethoxazole...

This book talks about the dynamics of the surface water-groundwater contaminant interactions under different environmental conditions across the world. The contents of the book highlight trends of monitoring, prediction, awareness, learning, policy, and mitigation success. The book provides a description of the background processes and factors cont...

In this chapter, we give a brief overview on occurrence of antibiotic resistance gene in WWTP based on previous studies conducted in several countries. Then, we describe our initial effort in antibiotic resistance gene screening from samples collected in four WWTP in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, employing the activated sludge process, and wastewater...

VULNERABILITY AND RESILIENCE of urban waters, under the shifting paradigm of climate change and urbanization, needs to be evaluated from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. We evaluated the vulnerability of urban waters of Guwahati, the largest city in Northeastern India, and Colombo, the coastal National Capital Territory of Sri Lanka,...

Galle is one of the core districts in Southern Province where more than 85% of total population is agglomerated in rural regions. As National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) is unable to cater the potable water demand raised by rural population due to some constraints, it has induced the rural communities to commence community managed water...

Evaluation of water quality of community managed water supply schemes in Matara district aid to evaluate the level of hygienic quality of community managed water supply system that provides drinking water to the Matara district and to develop the Water Quality Index for the community managed water supply system in Matara district to ensure the safe...

Multi-drug resistant microbes, pathogenic viruses, metals, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in water has become the crux of urban sustainability issues. However, vulnerability due to pollutant concurrences, source apportionment, and identification of better faecal indicators needs to be better understood. The present study foc...

Rainwater is one of the alternative water sources that can potentially replace municipal water supply, particularly in areas with insufficient water supply, such as developing Asian cities. In this study, we consider both the acceptability and availability (i.e. amount) of rainwater use in Galle, situated in the southern part of Sri Lanka. We exami...

Emerging contaminants (ECs), such as personal care products (PCPs), endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), pharmaceuticals (PhACs) and their transformation products,whose occurrence at trace levels in treated wastewater is of concern for human health and the aquatic ecosystem. Due to the relatively new introduction or detection of these pollutants,...

Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is spreading gradually in Sri Lanka. In the current research, 1,435 well water samples from all 25 districts of Sri Lanka, 91 rice samples, and 84 human urine samples from both CKDu-endemic and non-endemic areas in Sri Lanka were analyzed for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and chromium to detect whether to...

A total of 1,304 well water samples from Sri Lanka were analyzed to assess the potential risk of drinking water to human health. Fluoride concentration of more than 1.0 mg/L was found in 20% of the wells, especially in the dry zone where CKDu is prevalent. Fluoride is a suspected cause of CKDu in the region. Nitrate concentrations of more than 50 m...

World is facing many problem due to increasing atmospheric temperature and air pollution. Excess of waste, heat release, lack of vegetation, high thermal capacity material in urban areas are several reasons for global warming. The green spaces are a sustainable solution for this problem. Out of all green spaces green wall is a better option conside...

Irrigation water quality of Hambantota district has become a question with prevailing CKDu in some part of the Hambantota. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the irrigation water quality Hambantota District. The water quality parameters such as pH, EC, TDS, salinity, SAR, COD, F-and heavy metals (Cd, As and Pb) in irrigation water an...

This research was conducted to evaluate the irrigation water quality in Matara and Galle districts. Water samples were collected from irrigation tank/anicut, field canal and field in Pottewela, Makawita and Kitharaliya in Matara district and Dorape in Galle district. Field canal sediment samples were analyzed to evaluate the sediment-water heavy me...

Metal speciation and transport are seldom assessed in densely populated Tropical River. An evaluation of the phase distribution for Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) along with chemical speciation, variance with different water quality parameters and toxicity were conducted in the Brahmaputra River of India from upstream to downstream during wet...

Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) is an emerging epidemic among farming communities in rural Sri Lanka. Victims do not exhibit common causative factors, however , histopathological studies revealed that CKDu is a tubulointerstitial disease. Urine albumin or albumin-creatinine ratio is still being used as a traditional diagnostic t...

STROBE statement. (DOC)

River water samples were taken from 32 locations around the basin of Chaophraya River and its four major tributaries in Thailand to investigate resistance ratios of Escherichia coli isolates to eight antibiotic agents of amoxicillin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, tetracycline, doxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxaci...

High incidence of Chronic Interstitial Nephritis in Agricultural Communities (CINAC) is reported in rural Sri Lanka. Victims do not exhibit common causative factors such as hypertension, diabetes or glomerulonephritis. Previous studies have identified agricultural activities (usage of herbicides and phosphate fertilizers), repeated dehydration, and...

This study aimed to clarify the factors affecting people's preferences for sustainable management of Kandy lake basin, Sri Lanka. We conducted water sampling surveys to clarify the current situation on water quality of the lake and related water bodies, and an interview survey to investigate preferences of local people and tourists on functions of...

Eight effluent samples were collected from four conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to determine the complexation of Zn, Cu, Cd and Ni by dissolved organic matter (DOM) in WWTP effluent. The collected effluents were subjected to determine the labile Zn, Cu, Cd and Ni concentrations using EmporeTM chelating disk cartrid...

Limnocharis flava, a species native to tropical America, is naturalized as a noxious weed in Sri Lanka, India and some other Southeast Asian countries. It is widespread in flood plains, wetlands and agricultural wetlands resulting in poor drainage. In the current study, the influence of different water conditions on growth, development and morpholo...

Naturally occurring processes such as biological reaction might modify the properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) for binding with heavy metals. Complexation of heavy metals with DOM determines their environmental and ecological impacts. In this study, biodegradation experiments were carried out separately for river water and river water spik...

This study was aimed at comparing the Zn and Cu binding parameters with dissolved organic matter (DOM) in road runoff, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent and influent. Conditional stability constant (K') and binding site concentration ([L]) are important to predict free or labile metal concentration and toxicity in the water environment. Th...

The size distributions of zinc and copper species in the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant were determined by a combination of ultrafiltration and chelating disk cartridge fractionation. The results showed that 75-87% of total Zn and 84-86% of total Cu were strongly complexed or particle-bound in the final effluents. It was also found that t...